Rams run wide, from Fort Collins to Afghanistan and back again

Maj. Terry Slatic, a Rams flag, and a crew of Marines in Afghanistan. (Maj. Slatic, care of CSU)

Terry Slatic, an offensive lineman at Colorado State in the early ’80s, played on the same roster as current Rams coach Steve Fairchild. Now, the two are a world apart. Well, they were a few weeks ago.

Slatic — that’s Maj. Slatic — was in Afghanistan with a U.S. Marine unit. You can see him in the picture above, standing in the middle, holding the weapon pointed up.

Slatic was a longtime Marine during a first enlistment. After the Sept. 11 attacks, he re-enlisted. For awhile, he was the oldest captain in the Corps, before a promotion to major. He returned home within the past few weeks.

He’s one of two former Rams football players in active duty. The other is Jamie Bennett, a defensive lineman from 1997-2000. He’s a medical officer in the Army and just returned from a tour in Iraq.

In the picture, you don’t have to look close to see the CSU flag blowing in the desert wind. How’d the flag get there? Fairchild and a bevy of players and coaches and admins have been sending care packages to Slatic and Bennett. The packages had gum, beef jerky, chapstick, caramel corn, headphones. And some of them included the Rams flag.

“These guys took Terry and Jamie under their wings and let them know that even though they may have felt like they were out on an island over there, that there were teammates and other Rams back here thinking about them and their units,” Fairchild said.

Consider the hotbed of Rams fans a wide one, from Denver to Miami to Kabul.

Thank you Major Slatic and ALL the men and women who serve with you throughout the world. Hopefully this era will end soon but I and my family sleep better thanks to your courage. GO Rams! God Bless each of you.